SWC meets with Turkish President in NY ahead of historic meeting with Israeli PM

September 20, 2022

Rabbi Cooper pictured here with President Erdogan who inscribed a book on Istanbul Synagogues for the Simon Wiesenthal Center and its Museum of Tolerance. 

SWC Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action Agenda, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, was among a group of Jewish leaders who met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the eve of his historic meeting with Israel PM Yair Lapid. The meeting with Jewish leaders took place at the Turkish House directly across from the UN world headquarters, where the United Nations General Assembly is convening this week. 

The one hour wide-ranging discussion with President Erdogan touched on many issues including the fight against terrorism, concerns over anti-Semitism, and the future course of Turkey-Israel cooperation. The President took multiple questions concerning terrorism; the hopes for increased cooperation in energy in the Mediterranean region and the situation in Syria. President Erdogan commended Israeli President Isaac Herzog for helping build positive momentum to help improve bilateral relations.

For further information, please email Michele Alkin, Director of Global Communications at malkin@wiesenthal.com or Shawn Rodgers at srodgers@wiesenthal.com, join the Center on Facebook, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization numbering over 400.000 members. It holds consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS and the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO).